We've long been meaning to visit the Sumatran Tropical Rainforest WHS - after all, it's a relatively "close" site for Australians, but we never quite managed to plan a visit. After all, the site covers a huge expanse, with three national parks included, and a lot of options for a visit. Last year we almost booked at visit to Gunung Leuseur NP, the most touristed option and not too far from Medan Airport, but then realised our dates overlapped with Eid al-Fitr, when our selected tour operator closed.

We finally made a booking for mid-2025 with the same tour operator (Sumatra EcoTravel), choosing to book a two day trek in the jungle, to up our chances of spotting orang-utans, sandwiched between two nights staying at their cottages in Bukit Lawang, the touristy gateway town. The high season is June to September, coinciding with the "dry" season, hopefully lessening our chances of leeches. (Although an afternoon storm is still likely!)

While the camp where we stayed overnight was rustic, we were spoiled by our beautiful riverside room, complete with balcony hammock, and the plentiful food provided (especially the colourful fruit trays!) After the long transfer from Medan Airport, we relaxed on the balcony for the afternoon, and were feeling energetic at the departure of our trek the next morning.

There was previously an orang-utan rehabilitation centre at Bukit Lawang, that closed 20 years ago, meaning it's highly likely to spot semi-wild orang-utans nearby, even on a day walk. We spotted our first orang-utan, which was actually a wild one, just outside the gates of the national park. It was a scarily close encounter when it swung across the treetops and shimmied down a tree to check us out!

Throughout the day we spotted about another six orang-utans, some far in the distance while others were right above our heads in the tree canopies, including a mother and baby pair. We were given the option to take a "short cut" to the campsite, but skipped it - luckily as I believe we would have missed seeing some of the orang-utans. We also spotted Thomas's leaf monkeys, cheeky macaques, a pea hen and heard a gibbon.

The track over the hillsides is quite rough and steep. However, it wasn't too bad until we got to the final descent to the campsite, involving a steep descent hanging onto ropes and roots. Of course it also started to pour rain when we were half way down! We ended up skipping the walk on the second morning, which involved more of the same, but went on a short walk to a local waterfall.

The return trip to Bukit Lawang is a fun raft trip along the river - a lot easier than trekking! We also finally spotted some gibbons from the river. In the morning a hornbill high up in the trees was spotted, although I couldn't really make it out.

It was great on the trip to see an effort being made for sustainable travel. Our company supplied drinking water refills and didn't gather firewood for the campsite. The guides are locals and local projects are supported. There was even virtually no rubbish on the ground. Not surprisingly this site is on the "In Danger" list, but hopefully more sustainable management means that it will one day be removed.